School District May Implement Surveillance Testing for COVID

In a proactive move to assure schools can remain open, the Rye school district is looking at what is needed to implement surveillance testing for COVID. While the district is ready with testing capability, it is currently only allowed to conduct testing if Rye is placed in a State designated micro-cluster zone.

While the State’s measure for what would actually require a school closure is unclear to administrators and seemingly changing week-to-week, schools in the Lower Hudson Valley region have asked the State to allow schools to begin using State-provided COVID-19 tests for surveillance testing. Surveillance testing entails administering tests weekly to a portion of the school population to establish a baseline understanding of the COVID-19 positivity rate in the community.

If the Rye school district receives State approval, it would be able to begin surveillance testing in the Rye schools. “I will be sure to provide updates and new information as I receive it and if surveillance testing proves to be a feasible option for the District,” said Rye schools boss Eric Byrne.